Toy.



C. L. GRUVER.

TOY.

APPLICATION FILED 00T. s, 1911.

Patented Mar. 10, 1914 wim/QQ CURTIS L. CRUVER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TOY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

latcnted Mar. it), 19t-1e.

Application filed October 5, 1911. Serial No. 652,929.

To all whom it may concern:

lie it known that I, CURTIS L. Couven, a citizen oit the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county o'l Cook and State ot illinois, have invented certain new and use't'ul improvements in Toys, of which the :following is a specification.

The object ol'l this invention is to provide a toy or the like adapted to produce a loileidoscopic or variable display ot colors upon a moving part or parts, as will more li'ully appear by the :following description ol one embodiment ol" the invention.

in the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation partly broken away showing the manner olf using the toy. Fig. 2 is a section on dotted line i2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. l is an enlarged section on line P il of Fig. VFigs. fl: and 5 are enlarged side and top plan views, respectively, of a member operating to produce rotation of the colored parts and their container, Fig. G shows reduced views oit the rings 0r disks comprised in the device.

The embodiment herein shown ol the in vention comprises a cage or container within which are located a plurality ot variously colored rings or dislelike members, said container' being mounted upon a spindle provided with a screw-thread or its equivalent, and said container carrying a member operating as a nut upon said spindle, together' with means for pushing the nut along the spindle to cause rotation oit' the nut and container and thus impart rotation to the colored members. 'llhese members are so constructed and supported that while they lie one above another they are at liberty to rotate at ditterentspeeds and to .move laterally so as to extend various distances beyond the pcripheries oil superposed members and 'for various lengths of time, whereby the rotation ot said members produces a great Yariety ol color ellects.

'ihe form herein shown oit the invention comprises a spindle l which may loe conveniently 'formed oit two wires twisted together, the twisting of such wires providing the equivalent of a screw-thread or spiral groove. The lower end ot' the spindle may be provided with a handle 2 of any suitable form. Upon said spindle is freely rotatable a container or cage consisting in this instance of a liat circular casing 3 having its upper side largely cut away as indicated in ltiig. 2 so that, the contents of the cage shall l:serves to keep the member l be visible from above. 'lhe casing may be conveniently made ol two sections 1l; and 5 having their edge portions or annular llanges telescoped and lirictionally held to gethe i' as shown in Fig. il. Centrally oil'l the .lower side ot the easing is a recess (l in which is mounteil a member 7 having a eentral opening 8 ot' such itorm as to constitute a partial screw-tln'einl adapted to move in the sorew-tln'ead ol the spindle l. A sleeve tl adapted to be grasped by the fingers is placed upon the spindle l below the easing fl. then said sleeve is slidden upwardly upon the spindle, its lower end presses against the lower sido ol the easing S and the latter in turn forces the member T along the spindle, causing it to rotate, said member in its rotation causing rotation of the casing by reason of the lrietional contact between the easing and said member. lli desired, means may be inovided 'lor preventing the casing 'l'rom being pushed ollx the upper end oli` the spindle as by enlargingl the upper end ol said spindle so that it cannot pass through the opening l() oli the casing. A quick upward movement ot the sleeve t) imparts sutlicient nnunentum to the easing Il to omiso the latter to spin for some time. lVhen the operator lowers the sleeve t), the easingl 2l gradually settles or gravitates along the spindle.

lVithin the easing l is a plurality o'l rings or disk-like members l l, 1Q, i3 and lft. suitably eolored on their upper sides and each ol. a di'tlerent color. 'lhese disks rest upon the bottom ot the casing or upon a disk 15 oil' tin or other suitable material and ot a neutral or any desired color. The disk 15 H in its recess. The upper ring l1. is preferably black or ol a neutral color so as to partially mask the upper colored disk. Tt desired the bottom ol the casing may be colored. ln the em bodin'lent herein shown the central openings oi the rings are not. all ol the same diameter, and the diameters oi the disks also vary. Some ol the rings are caused to rotate by reason ot peripheral contact between the rings` and the peripheral wall ol" the easing- 3, while the ring or rings ot smaller diameter are caused to rotate by 'rictional contact with the spindle l. lt will be understood that when the easing is being propelled along the spindle, the disks tend by reason of gravity to lie in Contact with one another, and that when the operatl t) tor permits the rotating casing to gravitate back to the starting point, the rings may and frequently do rotate for varying lengths of time out of contact with one another. As the rings shift laterally with respect to one another, and as their rotation is caused by the varying speed at which the casing 3 is caused to revolve, and as the rotative speed of each ring is modiiied now and then by intermittent contact with adjacent rings, and as the rings are of different areas, it will be seen that an immense variety of ever-changing optical effects will be produced.

The foregoing is a description of one of various possible embodiments of the invention defined in the following claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. In a device of the class described, the combination of a screw-threaded spindle, a container movable along said spindle, means to cause. rotation of the container in its movement along the spindle, said container having openings therethrough, and a plurality of colored members in said container, said members being rotated in the rotation of said container.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a screw-threaded spindle, a container movable along said spindle, said container having' openings therethrough, means to cause rotation of the container in its movement along the spindle, and a plurality of colored members in said container, arranged to be rotated through frictional contact with said container.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a container with inclosing edges, said container having openings therethrough. means for rotating said container comprising a screw, and a plurality of colored members movable within said container and arranged to be rotated through frictional contact with said container.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of a container having openings therethrough, means for rotating said container comprising a screw spindle, and a plurality of superposed colored members within said container and resting loosely upon the bottom of said container.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a container, means for rotating said container comprising a screw spindle, and a plurality of superposed colored apertured members within said container and of less diameter than said container, the apertures in said members being of different sizes, and said members being freely rotatable with relation to the container, said container having openings therethrough.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of a spindle, a flat casing of circular outline, said casing being rotatable upon said spindle and movable therealong, means to cause rotation of the container upon the spindle, and a plurality of colored members within said casing and arranged to be rotated through frictional contact with said casing, said container having openings therethrough.

7. In a device of the class described, the combination of a screw -threaded spindle having a. handle at its lower end, a flat casing of circular outline freely rotatable on and movable along said spindle, said casing having openings therethrough, a nut-like member frictionally engaging said casing and tting upon said spindle, a sleeve slidable along the spindle below said casing, and a plurality of colored rings of different internal and external diameters resting loosely upon the bottom of said casing and rotatable through frictional contact with said casing and with each other.

8. In a device of the class described, a containerl having openings therethrough and having a recess in its lower side, a plurality of colored rings in said container, a member positioned in said recess beneath said rings, and means for pressing said casing against said member and for rotating said member.

9. In a device of the class described, a container having openings therethrough and having a recess in its lower side, a plurality of colored rings in said container, a member positioned in said recess beneath said rings, and means for pressing together the bottom of said recess and said member, and for re tating said member.

10. In a device of the class described, a container having openings therethrough, a plurality of colored rings in said container, a member positioned in said container beneath said rings, and means for rotating said member, said rotating means adapted to press together said member and the bottom of said container when said container is raised.

11. In a device of the class described, a

container having openings therethrough, a

plurality of colored rings in said container, a. member positioned in said container beneath said rings, and means for rotating said member, said rotating means adapted to press together said member and the bottom of said container when said container is raised, and to cause said member to support said rings when said container is left unsupported.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CURTIS L. CRUVER.

Writnesses:

Il. L. MILLER, JOSEPH R. Bansin, J r.

Contea of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Betania,

Washington, D. C. 

